XFL suspends operations indefinitely after less than one season

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert and Field Yates, the XFL officially suspended all of its operations on April 10, 2020. The league fired most of its staff and does not plan on returning in 2021.

The disappointing move comes a month after the league canceled the remainder of its season amid growing fears surrounding the spread of COVID-19. However, the league planned to return in 2021 at that point.

The XFL shut down after less than a season. Another version of the league, also called the XFL, played a season in 2001. However, that league focused more on showmanship than football.

Vince McMahon, the CEO of WWE, owned both XFL leagues. The 2001 version featured McMahon’s over the top flare for the dramatic, but the recent iteration stressed playing authentic, professional football. Commissioner Oliver Luck certainly delivered on his promises for legitimate play during the league’s short run.

The remodeled XFL became the most recent professional football league to fail. Around this time last year, the Alliance of American Football also suspended operations after less than a season. However, the Alliance never enjoyed the same publicity or fan support as the XFL, and it stood on financially shaky ground from the start.

The Arena Football League, which ran for more than 30 years, also filed for bankruptcy within the past year. With professional leagues, both established and recently created, dropping like flies, fans must wonder if another successful professional football league can coexist with the NFL and college football.

If a league like the XFL, which enjoyed financial backing from McMahon, saw its games aired nationally, and possessed visionaries in leadership positions like Luck, could not survive for more than a season, chances are no other upstart league will.

The XFL did produce several professional products during its short run time. Houston Roughnecks quarterback P.J. Walker became the first XFL player to sign a contract with an NFL team. He and the Carolina Panthers agreed to a two-year deal. Several other players, including quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and defensive back Deatrick Nichols, also signed NFL contracts.